Oyo gets 17.7MW of interconnected mini-grids as Tegbe rules out a tariff rise

Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe has flagged off five interconnected hybrid solar mini-grids totalling 17.7MW across five local government areas of Oyo State. They are financed by the World Bank and developed by Paras Energy, and Tegbe told Nigerians there is no plan to raise electricity tariffs.

Five interconnected hybrid solar mini-grids with a combined 17.7MW are going up across Oyo State, at Bola, Jiboye, Molade-Adelubi, Ogo Oluwa and Sooko-Elega. Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe flagged off construction in Ibadan on 16 October on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.

Paras Energy and Natural Resources Development Limited is developing the network with World Bank financing, backed by battery storage. The target is at least 20 hours of electricity a day for communities in the Akinyele, Ido, Ibadan North, Egbeda and Lagelu local government areas.

The Rural Electrification Agency and the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company were also credited on the project, which follows similar REA work in Kwara, Niger, Nasarawa, Plateau, Adamawa and Kaduna.

Tegbe used the flag-off to dismiss speculation about an imminent tariff increase as misinformation, saying “there is no plan to increase electricity tariffs.”

His immediate priority, he said, is three energy zones, from the Lagos-Ogun corridor to Benin-Enugu-Port Harcourt, with grid strengthening planned at sites including Funtua, Kainji, Gwagwalada, Gombe, Makurdi, Ajaokuta, Ikot Ekpene, Benin and Egbin. He described the goal as “a power sector that works around the clock,” adding that “our commitment is 24/7 power.”